KANSAS, Okla. — Three individuals have pleaded guilty to murder charges in connection with the 2014 cold case killing of a 20-year-old man whose remains were discovered in a Delaware County burn pile, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) announced Thursday.

James Merritt Larson Jr., 42, pleaded guilty to First-Degree Murder on Monday, September 21, 2026, in Delaware County District Court and was sentenced to life in prison, with all but the first 20 years suspended. Co-defendants Penny Larson, 40, and Bradley Wayne Majors, 31, previously pleaded guilty in January 2026. Penny Larson received a 20-year suspended sentence, while Majors was handed a 10-year suspended sentence.

2014 Disappearance and Discovery of Remains

The case began in early 2014 when the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office received a missing persons report regarding 20-year-old Dustin Ray Carver, who was last seen at a residence in Kansas, Oklahoma. On May 15, 2014, local deputies requested assistance from OSBI special agents to investigate Carver's suspicious disappearance.

Investigating agents subsequently served a search warrant at a property in Kansas. During a joint search conducted by the OSBI, Delaware County deputies, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, authorities located a burn pile containing human remains, which were transported to the Medical Examiner’s Office for formal forensic processing.

Out-of-State Lead Resolves 11-Year-Old Homicide

The investigation remained unsolved for more than 11 years until July 2025, when the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri contacted Oklahoma investigators with new leads. Information obtained from James Larson Jr., who was incarcerated in Missouri on unrelated charges, enabled OSBI agents to determine that he and Penny Larson were directly responsible for Carver's death.

On September 12, 2025, the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office issued first-degree murder warrants for both suspects. Penny Larson was arrested on September 17, 2025, and booked into the Clinton County Jail, while James Larson was served in state prison. Continued investigative follow-up led agents to identify and arrest Bradley Wayne Majors on October 8, 2025.

The OSBI acknowledged the collaborative efforts of the Delaware County Sheriff's Office, Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Cameron Police Department, Bernice Police Department, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in bringing closure to the 2014 homicide.